INDIANAPOLIS — Good evening.
As we have done in the past, after this days out at games, I'll just post news and notes and stuff to the board here as to kick the transcribing can down the road best I can and not waste stuff at odd hours to get buried by more stuff the next day.
Right now, a quick report from a thoroughly unproductive night in Indianapolis.
My plan was to watch Xavier Booker's first game at Ben Davis at 7 and then get all the way over to Lawrence Central for at least half of Myles Colvin's game at 8:10. Matt Painter left Booker's game around halftime with the same thought in mind, and of course Booker's game went to OT and I had to stay, so I pulled into the LC lot just in time to see Painter walking out, because the game was over, so no luck on that part for me. Sounds like I didn't miss much though, as Colvin's team lost to Team Buddy Buckets, which I think — and hope — is named for Oklahoma's Buddy Hield.
Anyway, so Booker's game was the only one I saw and it was a weird one, lost to Mid-Pro Academy from Illinois (formerly the Peoria Irish, I believe) on a lob dunk as time expired after Booker's George Hill All-Indy team held for the last shot, but disastrously turned the ball over with just enough time left for Mid-Pro to walk it off.
A hell of an effort, otherwise, because George Hill came back from a 20-2 deficit to open the game and actually led late in regulation.
I didn't get Booker's final numbers, but can confirm there's some more going on there for him. He looks more aggressive, more assertive and more confident. Kids often do when they jump to the more free-flowing grassroots game, but that's the trajectory he rode to end his junior season at Cathedral, too.
Booker scored his share of points, probably somewhere in the 12-15 range and did so with a couple of nice one-handed runners off the dribble, attacking smaller matchups, and on one vicious alley-oop finish. It's significant with Booker, IMO, to see a little violence from him now and again. Good basketball violence, of course. Not Omar Payne or Allen Griffin stuff.
The best thing I saw, though, was a couple of contested rebounds, where Booker really wanted the ball and used every shred of his Pterodactyl dimensions to get it. He's never done much on the glass when I've seen him play before, at least in terms of contested rebounds, which I believe should be a separate statistical category from plucking a missed free throw off a rim.
Mid-Pro Academy does have Iowa big man commitment Owen Freeman, but I can't say they were head to head all night. George Hill does have a true post that Booker plays alongside.
The crowd for Booker to open the evaluation period: Matt Painter, Tom Izzo plus assistants, Mike Brey, Fran McCaffery (also watching Freeman obviously) and Ohio State assistant coach Jack Owens.
Spoke with Booker afterward mostly about his play lately but also the obligatory recruiting stuff. Listed all the usual Big Ten suspects — Michigan, Indiana and Illinois as well, though none of them were represented Friday night, unless I missed them — plus some new interest from Gonzaga and Marquette. Says he'll jump back into official visits in coming weeks potentially and knows he'll go to Michigan State and I think he said he'll visit Purdue again.
Booker didn't really take off to start this season the way I'm sure all the schools recruiting him hoped he would, but the light seems to be coming on here, and Purdue's definitely dug in with him.
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So Purdue had Painter at the games I mentioned above, and my best guess based off which targets are playing where is that assistants Paul Lusk and Brandon Brantley were also in Indy and Terry Johnson probably in Florida, where Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn was 5-for-5 for 10 points, with seven assists and no turnovers in Vegas Elite's narrow opening-night loss.
Wish I had more for you, tonight, but geography got me. Full day tomorrow, so stay tuned.
As we have done in the past, after this days out at games, I'll just post news and notes and stuff to the board here as to kick the transcribing can down the road best I can and not waste stuff at odd hours to get buried by more stuff the next day.
Right now, a quick report from a thoroughly unproductive night in Indianapolis.
My plan was to watch Xavier Booker's first game at Ben Davis at 7 and then get all the way over to Lawrence Central for at least half of Myles Colvin's game at 8:10. Matt Painter left Booker's game around halftime with the same thought in mind, and of course Booker's game went to OT and I had to stay, so I pulled into the LC lot just in time to see Painter walking out, because the game was over, so no luck on that part for me. Sounds like I didn't miss much though, as Colvin's team lost to Team Buddy Buckets, which I think — and hope — is named for Oklahoma's Buddy Hield.
Anyway, so Booker's game was the only one I saw and it was a weird one, lost to Mid-Pro Academy from Illinois (formerly the Peoria Irish, I believe) on a lob dunk as time expired after Booker's George Hill All-Indy team held for the last shot, but disastrously turned the ball over with just enough time left for Mid-Pro to walk it off.
A hell of an effort, otherwise, because George Hill came back from a 20-2 deficit to open the game and actually led late in regulation.
I didn't get Booker's final numbers, but can confirm there's some more going on there for him. He looks more aggressive, more assertive and more confident. Kids often do when they jump to the more free-flowing grassroots game, but that's the trajectory he rode to end his junior season at Cathedral, too.
Booker scored his share of points, probably somewhere in the 12-15 range and did so with a couple of nice one-handed runners off the dribble, attacking smaller matchups, and on one vicious alley-oop finish. It's significant with Booker, IMO, to see a little violence from him now and again. Good basketball violence, of course. Not Omar Payne or Allen Griffin stuff.
The best thing I saw, though, was a couple of contested rebounds, where Booker really wanted the ball and used every shred of his Pterodactyl dimensions to get it. He's never done much on the glass when I've seen him play before, at least in terms of contested rebounds, which I believe should be a separate statistical category from plucking a missed free throw off a rim.
Mid-Pro Academy does have Iowa big man commitment Owen Freeman, but I can't say they were head to head all night. George Hill does have a true post that Booker plays alongside.
The crowd for Booker to open the evaluation period: Matt Painter, Tom Izzo plus assistants, Mike Brey, Fran McCaffery (also watching Freeman obviously) and Ohio State assistant coach Jack Owens.
Spoke with Booker afterward mostly about his play lately but also the obligatory recruiting stuff. Listed all the usual Big Ten suspects — Michigan, Indiana and Illinois as well, though none of them were represented Friday night, unless I missed them — plus some new interest from Gonzaga and Marquette. Says he'll jump back into official visits in coming weeks potentially and knows he'll go to Michigan State and I think he said he'll visit Purdue again.
Booker didn't really take off to start this season the way I'm sure all the schools recruiting him hoped he would, but the light seems to be coming on here, and Purdue's definitely dug in with him.
--------
So Purdue had Painter at the games I mentioned above, and my best guess based off which targets are playing where is that assistants Paul Lusk and Brandon Brantley were also in Indy and Terry Johnson probably in Florida, where Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn was 5-for-5 for 10 points, with seven assists and no turnovers in Vegas Elite's narrow opening-night loss.
Wish I had more for you, tonight, but geography got me. Full day tomorrow, so stay tuned.
